A big thank you to my co-writer abranca38 for his help with this story!
"Blessed Helios" Captain Luca Gallo cursed under his breath.
A comrade from the army division, Lieutenant Marcus, called for a member of his logistics team to mark down another body. The bloated, washed-up mess was Private Leo, the 62nd victim of some gruesome attack. Captain Gallo stepped away from the corpse and trudged through the grassy overgrowth peppering the beach. His subordinates close behind him.
He preached himself on a tall mound overlooking the coastline where the Marley's Might made her mournful grave. Stretched all along the coastline were bits and pieces of the mighty dreadnought. Its metal gleamed in the sunlight. Just as equally spread out, and thankfully not shining in the sun, was her crew. Countless bodies washed ashore. Sons and daughters of the Motherland were disfigured by either injuries or their week-long exposure to the elements. Many missing limbs from what killed them or from the animals on land and in the sea. All were bloated from the water and sun. The same could not be said for those in the village close by… or what was left of it.
Gallo could never have suspected there was a village in the bile of crushed rocks and debris close to where the Marley's Might's remaining bow was. According to Lieutenant Marcus, it was once a fishing village until whatever attacked the Marley's Might turned its focus onto it. The survivors had managed to escape and retreat to one of the nearby Marleian bases. It was a commendable feat, seeing as it was three days away from the coast. Lieutenant Marcus was on station during their arrival, and upon news of a super dreadnought's defeat, he and his men rushed to confirm it and scout for any enemy forces.
It was coincidental that both Marcus and Gallo met at the same time, as Gallo himself arrived here due to the fact Marley's Might hadn't reported in. Three days had past before the brass gave Gallo orders to find out the state of the Marely's Might. Gallo's ship and Marcus' squad both converged on the wreckage two days later. Working together, they began to assess the damage and search for survivors. Thus far, they found more of the former and none of the latter.
Whatever hit Marley's Might and the village left no soul to tell the tale, sans the lucky four that escaped the chaos. Lieutenant Marcus had said the Saradians were in dire conditions when they arrived at the base. Dehydrated and borderline paralyzed from exhaustion, the illiterate men began to babble on about the destroyer of their homes and that of the Marley's Might.
The men described a monster of sorts. Some creature that came from the ocean and crushed the Marley's Might underfoot. Same with their village soon after. A towering monstrosity with the face of a devil and the body of a bloated upright lizard. A monster that levelled kilometres of land with a single footstep. Those Saradians questioned whether or not the monster was the Colossal or Beast Titan. A stupid notion, Gallo thought. What they described was like some mythological monster or a tall dinosaur. Either way, Gallo was heavily sceptical of what he was hearing. "Have you ever heard of a creature that has the power to bring ruin to the earth like this?" Gallo called over to Marcus.
The Lieutenant paused mid-conversation with one of his men. He swiftly waved them away before responding to Gallo. "The Colossal Titan?"
Gallo barked out a laugh. "That's a demon, Marcus. No, whatever happened here, it was manmade." Gallo concluded.
Marcus walked towards him, pursing his lips in thought as he did so. "An ambush, sir?"
"Had to be," Gallo said as he lit a cigarette.
As he breathed in the much-needed tobacco, he gestured for Marcus to stand close so that he could show him the remnants of the coastal village. "My best guess, is the village was the staging ground. They had placements hidden there and they fired upon Marley's Might. Marley's Might fought back and leveled the whole village. Unfortunately, Marley's Might succumbed to the wounds," Gallo took another deep drag and blew the smoke out his nose. "Blew up to kingdom come. Damn shame."
Marcus slowly nodded. His movement was unsure. He clearly doubted Gallo's words. "Sir, that doesn't explain the village being totally leveled and some people surviving. I'm no expert on the matter, but super-dreadnoughts don't carry anything that could leave little to no evidence that were was a village out there, nor totally tear itself apart with an internal explosion."
Gallo puffed out smoke in irritation. "Clearly, you don't. Super-dreadnoughts can level a city if they want to. A simple village with a few weapons placements is no match for one like the Marley's Might. However… judging from the spread of debris, the Marley's Might was far out. To focus that amount of ammunition to level a village in one place without any spread to the surrounding landscape… it's nothing short of a miracle" Gallo chewed thoughtfully.
"A miracle? I thought super dreadnoughts were the best military hardware Marley could make. They should be as accurate as possible, regardless of distance" Marcus stipulated.
Gallo answered with a shake of his head. "Not with a piss poor crew. Douglas always ran things to the ground. Be it his career, ship, attitude, or crew. There was no way the ship was going to grind a village to dust without peppering the whole countryside with shells along with it."
"So… it was a monster?" Marcus asked confused.
Gallo snorted. "Of course not! Shameful of me to admit it, but Marley's Might went down without a fight. That's what I think. Douglas got caught with his pants down, and the placements in the village fired and scored the Marley's Might. They got lucky with sinking her, then unlucky when their ammunition stores got blown up. Mishandling - happens when dumb hicks take up arms. One greasy bastard grabs hold of a shell and lets it slip; boom. That's what you see in front of us." Gallo explained as he jabbed his finger pointedly towards the ruined village.
Marcus slowly nodded his head, this time his movement was more certain and understanding. Just as Gallo was satisfied with their little lesson and about to resume their grim work, one of Marcus' privates rushed up to meet them. The young lad gave them a swift salute before addressing Marcus. "Sir, Private Adams, sir. I'm here to report an important finding, sir!" Private Adams screamed out.
Gallo froze mid-drag. He picked up the slight fear in the private's voice, and it wasn't because he was addressing superiors. No, something else gave the boy jitters. Marcus asked what it was, to which the Private began to go pale. "Sir, it's… a footprint. And a massive one! The biggest I've ever seen!" Private Adams whimpered out.
All hushed chatter was cut swiftly. The howling winds blowing from the coast intensified in the sudden dreadful silence. Gallo couldn't stop the pit forming in his stomach. A cold rush washed through him as the potential horror of the situation fell on him. In a blur, he pounced on the private and shook his shoulders. Gallo's cigarette flew out of his mouth as he yelled at him. "Size! What size damn it?! Did you see anything on the horizon?! Did you see-"
Gallo froze mid-second, then threw the private away and snapped his eyes to a pale Marcus. "Did you know?! Did you know they were deploying Titans here?!"
Gallo's panicked words spread fear across the gathered troops. Many of them foolishly began to look away for the wayward hostiles. The rest wisely dropped what they were doing and prepared to make a run for it. Marcus for his part remained staunch in his foolish bravery. "N-no! There were no reports of any Titan deployment in this area! Was… Blessed Helios! Was the Marley's Might transporting Eldians?!"
It was Gallo's turn to go pale and shiver in his boots. "Good Lords… That explains the…" words failed Gallo at that moment.
The cold icy grip of fear clenched his throat. The realization that the Marley's Might must've been on a secret mission transporting dishonored Eldians and something went awry. Luckily, Marcus came to the same realization. Gallo found the strength to call for new orders. "Apone!" he called out.
Midshipman Apone swiftly rushed to his side. "Get the boats ready and the men squared away on them. We need to leave- now!" Gallo barked.
Apone wasted no time in hightailing it down the beach. Gallo and his own men were quick to follow. However, Gallo stopped himself when he saw Marcus was gathering his men and pointing towards the hilly valley bordering the beach. "Lieutenant! You will not be able to outrun a Titan of any size. There is plenty of room on my ship to house your men in the meantime" Gallo pleaded.
Marcus shook his head. "We need to identify how many Titans are on the loose. The last thing we need is Marleyan lives at risk. Don't worry, we'll just count how many tracks there are then we'll retreat back to-"
"One sir!" Private Adams interrupted.
"One?" Marcus repeated.
Adams nodded and pointed towards the location of the prints. Without another word, Marcus signaled his men to fall in and follow him. The troopers hid their fear well as they followed their leader. Gallo thought them fools, but his own curiosity blinded his self-preservation. How could a single Titan level a whole village? He had seen them at work. The monsters were surprisingly mindful of collateral damage if there weren't any people hiding inside of the buildings. Yet, he had never seen Titans, let alone one, render a whole village to dust. Something wasn't right…
Gallo followed suit. His men stood gabbed smack at their captain seemingly abandoning them. They wised up and reluctantly followed him.
The trek took a few minutes. A dirt track lead up to a tall hill, stopping at a small mesa where it overlooked the village and the beach. By the time Gallo and his men arrived, Marcus and his men had found the tracks. They were frozen in disbelief. Their mouths hung agape as they looked out upon the beach. Gallo perched beside the troopers and scanned the coast. It took a minute, but the footprints were unmistakable.
It could have been easily- no. It was easily mistaken to think the abnormal prints were part of the coastline geometry. So deep, so wide and so spaced out that they assumed it was natural holes built into the earth. Now up high, they saw it for what it was, and it left Gallo shaking. Deep prints that didn't belong to a Titan. It did not have the arch or groves that a Titan and a human shared. It was oblong in shape. More wide than narrow with four smaller prints sticking out of it. Four toes, each capped with claw marks that stabbed into the dirt and rock. They started at where the fishing village was supposed to be, running along the coastline until they ended at the water's edge far down the coast. Gallo noticed too how close to the prints was another hill. Shorter than the one they were on and the others surrounding it. Its body is littered with fresh dirt and glittering rock. It was the same sight in the valley beside it. The grassy tundra broken up by earth and stone that looked out of place. Gallo knew something had knocked it down. The footprints and the decapitated hill all told him that something big and monstrous had been there. Something that he had never seen before. Something that no one has ever seen before…
"Those aren't Titan footprints" a soldier concluded.
"What else could that they be?!" Another barked out in hysterics.
"You don't think the Demons of Paradis stole the Colossal Titan, do ya?" another soldier stupidly quipped.
"The Colossal Titan doesn't have feet like that!"
"How would you know?!"
"Impossible! If they did, how would they have gotten here?"
As the soldiers became more hysteric, Gallo blinked and turned to Marcus. Like looking in a mirror, Marcus stared back at Gallo with wide eyes and a pale, sunken face. His eyes darken into pits of terror and despair. "It wasn't the Colossal." Gallo began, causing the soldiers to go quiet and turn in his direction.
"The Saradians weren't lying. The... thing that destroyed the Marley's Might and their village. It was a monster."
Current Publicly Available Information #1: Super Dreadnoughts
It is well known that Titans are incapable of swimming. Their bodies are too heavy to stay buoyant, and most of them are warpped into twisted forms that cannot stay afloat in deep water. To make up for their glaring weakness, Marley has the grace and foresight to produce the most powerful naval weapon of the modern age: the Super Dreadnought.
The perfect package of protection, speed and firepower, the Super Dreadnought is the hammer to crush Marley's sworn enemies apart. Armed with heavy-calibre 15-inch batteries and a slew of medium and small weaponry, the Super Dreadnought brings as much fear to the enemy as it does firepower. Able to send most fleets to the bottom of the sea, the Super Dreadnought is a staple of Marley's naval might.
Just like our world, the Super Dreadnought is forever evolving to lead the charge and bring peace to a world full of devils. Italia shipyards have proudly announced their new Super Dreadnought class, the Foehammer, coming soon. A new top-of-the-line battleship, this class will hopefully be in full production in the next year. Ready to spread Marley's peace and unity among distant shores.
Zeke was hankering for a cigarette right about now. Anything to dull the reparative bootlicking and self-congratulatory speeches permeating through the command building. Alas, among the many, many, dishonourable actions an Eldian can commit, engaging in a leisurely smoke before officers was one of them. Even if the Marleyan brass did so right in front of each other, a Warrior cannot indulge in such a thing. Thus, Zeke suffered in silence as Admiral Yaric prattled on. "If you discount the one missing vessel, my fleet has suffered little losses and has done their part in their war," Yaric boastfully said. "We managed to corral the Saradian fleet to their capital; Chatigaon. We've cut off both their military and their merchant vessels. They tried to make a few breaks, but we've managed to repel them."
"There's no evidence of troop movements outside of the city walls" Commander Anton, the one in charge of the Marleyan infantry, spoke up. "No recons or forward positions. We have seen movement on the top walls. We're unsure what exactly, but its certain that they're assembling anti-air and artillery placements."
"Cornered like rats" General Calvi spat with a puff of cigarette smoke out his noses. "Dig in- hunker down and expect a siege. Like the days of old…"
Commander Lucifer, the head honcho of logistics, tried to suppressed a smile as he spoke. "With due respect, sir, this country had last been at war during Marley's founding."
"A hundred or so years when we were still using spears and arrows? They can't be that daft to think that city could withstand us and our Titans!" Commander Anton exclaimed.
"But they can. New orders from the Prime Minister came in this morning; we are to take the city without levelling it to the ground" General Calvi enlightened the officers.
A chorus of grumbles and soft curses under their breaths came from the officers. Their subordinates were wise enough to only show their surprise and confusion through raised eyebrows and shared looks toward each other. "Why would the Prime Minister order such a thing?! Was it interference from parliament?" Commander Heller of the aerial forces asked- or sounded more like demanded.
General Calvi grumbled in distaste. "To add a little spice to our lives? No. Parliament and the ministry thought it best to turn this into a PR stint. They have reporters and photographers coming in tomorrow morning to document our… measured capture of Chatigaon. The Motherland wants to show mercy to these bastards. Show the world that, while Marley is a force to be reckoned with, she can be merciful. By tomorrow night, we'll have the annexation of Saradia in the palm of our hands, and those who surrender to it shall have a home and family to come back to" Calvi explained.
Zeke mauled the words over and compared it to what he heard from his own eyes and ears in Parliament. What Calvi said was true. The Marleyan Parliament wanted to turn this pointless war in their favour via good publicity. What Calvi failed to mention was the rest of the reasoning; showing the world that, even at half strength, the Warriors were still a powerhouse, and to gain a footing against the Hizuru.
With Marley's Warrior Unit cut in half, the world was willing to test the waters by overstepping their boundaries. It started off small with small border disputes, officials ignoring tariffs and embargos, and whatever petty incontinence a rival nation can think of. Then it grew more severe. Soon outposts were missing staff, military equipment was vanishing- only to return with the enemy's banner painted on their hull, and Marleyan citizens were being detained unlawfully. These actions were once grounds enough to deploy the Warrior Unit and conquer the nation. Now, they were considered less of a priority for the Beast and Cart. It was left to Marley's army, which had atrophied immensely due to their overreliance on the Warriors. Thus, it left the world's nations with a reason to go hog-wild with their global ambitions and plans against Marley. None more so than Hizuru.
Zeke could sense how giddy the government was with this war against Saradia, and what they quoted as a miracle from Helios. Zeke knew Marley wanted desperately a closer foothold to the Mid-East Nations and the coalition of Hizuru. Seeing as Saradia was smack bang in the middle of both nations, the brass wanted this country intact to be used as a client nation. At least for a few decades before being absorbed into the Marley empire like many other countries before it.
With the capital largely intact, Marley could easily set up shop here, establish a military base, elect their own people in Saradia's government and slowly begin to indoctrinate the local population, and that of neighbouring villages and cities across the border, into Marley's way of thinking. The thought alone made Zeke's anger boil to no end. All of this is just a ploy to weaken Marley's opponents and buy Marley more time to let the Paradis Operation come to fruition.
Zeke's mind lingered on the island for a fraction of a second. The sense of worry and wrath that came with it disappeared as soon as Calvi called for him and Magath. "Yeager. Magath. What are our options for the city's walls?" Calvi asked.
Zeke took a step closer to the seated commander of the Eldian forces. Magath straightened his chair and his cuffs. A tac Zeke noticed the commander did often to ease his tensions and focus. "Well, thanks to the recent news, deploying any Titans within the city isn't an option."
"So, are we thinking a full-scale charge at the walls?" Commander Anton asked.
"Not with the Saradian fleet and their guns. Our ground and air forces will be shredded to pieces with those cannons" Admiral Yaric pointed out.
"Gentlemen, I said we can't deploy the Titans within the city. Not outside of it" Magath said sternly.
The commanders begrudgingly quieted to let Magath explain himself. Magath leant across the table and over the map on it. A half-a-century-old map provided by the Marleyan archives, it depicted Chatigaon and its surrounding terrain. Elegantly carved pieces representing Marley's military divisions and platoons were scattered across the map with drawn areas dedicated to marking camps, sniper nests and areas of opportunity they could use against the Saladians. Magath grabbed the red nine-pointed star piece. It represented Pure Titans.
Eldian convicts who committed "lesser" crimes in the eyes of Marley. Crimes such as attacking or disrespecting a Marleyan or not wearing their armbands out in public. Such was their sin that they were sentenced to be lobotomised and sent to the frontlines to be ammunition in Marley's ambitious campaigns. A senseless fate that made Zeke more anxious and wanting to see this particular war end. Not because he was using his own people as cannon fodder, but so he could focus on his true goal of liberating his people.
Magath dropped the piece in North-Western plains, a few paces away from the city's walls. "We have the convicts injected with Zeke's spinal fluid and buried underground during the night. By the time the cameras are up and rolling, we'll have Zeke turn them into Titans. He will issue a command to have them attack and scale the walls" Magath explained as he moved the piece towards the city.
He stopped just shy of the walls and dropped the piece. Grabbing a pointer, he tapped the pieces representing the Saladian fleet. "The fleet will naturally want to turn and fire upon the Titans. Given the amount of Titans deployed, they'll want all their cannons fire on them before they reach the walls."
"And how many Titans will there be to warrant the fleet's whole attention?" Admiral Yaric asked.
Magath addressed the answer not to Yaric but to Calvi. "Sixty," he said confidently.
The room erupted into loud exclaims and confusion. The commander was gawking at Magath like he sprouted a second head. "Sixty?! Are you mad, Magath?! Are you forgetting we have to deal with them after the battle?!" Commander Lucifer shouted.
Magath held his hand up to silence the commanders. "I understand your concerns, gentlemen, but we need a big enough distraction to occupy the fleet's attention" Magath swiftly grabbed the tabletop piece representing the Cart Titan. "The Cart will be our key to victory against the Saradian fleet. With the terrain as is, the ships will need to sail out of the harbour in the direction of the fields where the Titans are. There are several fishing villages we currently occupy. We'll take their nettings and have the Cart use them to jam the ship's propellers. They'll be coasting out of the harbour, maybe run ashore, but that means they can't mauver to the other side of the city…"
Magath grabbed the army and aerial pieces, placing them on the other side of the city. "We'll have our main forces begin the assault on this side of the city. The Eldians will take point with the Marley personnel behind them. Meanwhile…" Magath reached over the moved the pieces denoting the Marleyan fleet closer to the harbour. "our fleet will move in to get rid of any remaining vessels that didn't take the bait. They can also provide fire support to our ground forces."
"What about the placements on the walls? The Eldians and our men will be shredded by them" Commander Anton pointed out.
Magath answered by picking up the Beast piece and placing it on the mountain ranges behind the infantry and aerial forces. "The Beast will be here, providing cover fire for the troops and blimps. We'll have him primarily fire upon the walls. Don't worry, Yeager has proven to have an excellent pitch" Magath promised.
"For an Eldian" Commander Lucifer snidely commented.
The prick to his ego barely registered to Zeke. A lifetime of being constantly told your sub-human tended to make one numb to it. Instead of defending himself, Zeke merely remained silent and let Magath do it. "Zeke has done this before. He managed to knock out several artillery pieces on fort towers several kilometres away. 65 to be exact, and he scored his target without any damage to the surrounding environment."
'Because Reiner and Annie destroyed most of said surrounding environment' Zeke mentally chimed.
The commanders seemed to be swayed by Magath's words. Many nodded in agreement or rubbed their chins, deep in thought. Calvi was the one to interrupt the silence, though he did so for a different matter. "Zeke, is it? Commander, I wouldn't happen to sense some fraternizing or comradeship with your underlings. Especially with his kind" General Calvi sternly insinuated.
The accusation brought everything to a standstill. Zeke noticed how stunned Magath was under Calvi's scrutiny. Zeke had to begrudgingly give Calvi credit for sniffing out Magath's abnormal compassion towards the Eldians under his command. Thinking back on Xavier's words and memories, Magath is by far the most empathetic commander the Warriors and Eldians have had. Even for a Marleyan, Magath's almost sincere attention to his "lesser's" is a rare, redeeming quality in Zeke's eyes. It was unfortunate then that the rest of the Marley brass thought otherwise. "Perhaps you have gained some sympathy in your time with them?" Calvi adds with an inquisitive look.
"No, sir. It was a mere lapse in judgement- a mistake" Magath explained.
Calvi and the commanders gave Magath a hard look. Non so scrutinising as Calvi. The General leaned forward, blazing Magath under his wrinkled, squinting eyes. "Don't think I am blind, Magath. I have seen the way the Warriors and Eldians look to you on and off the battlefield. Respect and admiration in equal measure, but no fear. One could get foolheaded with such attention. They would think themselves kings, only to rule over backstabbing devils. To not let it get to your head. You are a mere shepherd, guiding a volatile herd loaned to you by the Motherland. Nothing more. I expect you to reevaluate your attitude towards the Eldians. Attend a re-education seminar back home if you must."
Magath swallowed hard but kept his cool demeanour. Eventually, the tension was lessened when Calvi leaned back in his seat. "Other than your flagrant disregard for proper etiquette towards the devils, I say you're plan is rather thoughtful" Calvi praised. "Of course, some things will need to be ironed out, ran through with your fellow commanders and the usual."
"I understand, sir. Thank you, sir" Magath said with a stiff nod.
Calvi turned to the rest of the table. "Anton, stay here and draft the plan. Present yourself as soon as you have it finished. Everyone else, we'll reconvene tomorrow. As of now, it's quarter to nine; I reckon it's time for a spot of dinner. For the Motherland! Dismissed."
Upon the dismissal and the collective scraping of chair legs, Zeke assumed the bow all Eldians, regardless of rank or honour, must do before honoured Marleyans leave their presence. None cared to bat an eye at Zeke as they shifted out of the room with more vigour than they had during the meeting. Apparently, they were more eager to try out the captured Saradian chef's dishes than planning on how they were going win this war.
As soon as all the commanders and the general left, Zeke leaned back up to meet Magath face to face. "Yeager, walk with me" Magath commanded.
Zeke wordlessly followed Magath as they exited the soon-to-be busy room and out of the temporary FOB. The building was once the town hall of a village called Uttar Nah. The village was located a few kilometres away from Chatigaon's border. Its close location to the enemy's final stronghold made it the perfect staging ground to host Marley's military forces. Host being a strong word in this instance. Upon exiting the building, Zeke looked up at the stone archway that made the building's entrance. It held an ornate mural of the country's coat of arms. Not that Zeke could properly see it now covered haphazardly by Marley's flag. It won't be long now before the mural is either crushed underfoot or shipped away to live as a testament to Marley's conquests at their museums. Either way, Zeke was going to see another country fall to Marley's influence.
Zeke hid his bitterness well as he followed behind Magath. They walked in silence down the stairs and onto the street. Safe away from bustle and noise from the FOB, Magath spoke. "I want you to send Peick out to scout the beaches and fields around the capital. I want to know what lies in store for us. Brief her about tomorrow's mission before you send her off."
"Understood" Zeke responded.
"I want you to see the Eldian medical division and have extracted your spinal fluid. I'll organise the prepping of the convicts. After that, you're free for some RNR until sunrise."
"Yes sir."
"Zeke…"
Zeke stopped and turned when he heard the serious tone in Magath's voice. "Understand that this operation needs to go smoothly and as swift as possible. We can't afford another Mazoon or Portus Cale incident again."
Mazoon and Portus Cale, Zeke thought of those countries bitterly. The few nations were dumb enough to test Marley's patients and push them into war. Mazoon was the first one Marley sought to conquer. It was also the most brutal and difficult of them all. It was the first time in a century that Marley couldn't rely on Titan and Warrior forces and it showed. The atrophied divisions of the military were put under stress and floundered under the first hurdle. The battle to make landfall on Mazoon's beaches was a crushing defeat that cost several hundred thousand military assets to sink to the bottom of the ocean. It would've been more if Zeke hadn't transformed and covered their retreat. Naturally, Marley was quick to point the blame at Zeke and the Warriors for not acting sooner- regardless of the fact Zeke was initially a part of the backline reserves.
The rest of the campaign was one aggravating mess of a battle after the other. Officers in their positions only due to nepotism leading troops into ambushes, flight commanders thinking their blimps can outpace flak cannons and naval captains thinking they can take on coastal placements on their own. Zeke and Peick were everywhere in the country. By morning, they were first on the eastern front, pushing to liberate a town or military installation. By midday, they were in the middle of the ocean, desperately fighting off enemy blimps firing above. By night, they were in the southern wilderness, sneaking convicts into the city's sewers to devour the enemy come morning. They were plugging so many holes that it was a miracle that Marley even won that war. Regardless of their efforts, the Warriors were still berated for not putting in the effort to save more lives and end the conflict quickly.
Portus Cale was an equal mess. A projected two-month war had turned into a yearlong slog in the mud. Marley's initial assaults went swimmingly until they came across one major bridge leading to an important military base. Magath knew it was a trap, yet he was forced to send Zeke, Pieck and the Eldian frontline to march on that bridge and take it. What resulted was a devastating defeat. Instead of holding their defensible positions on the bridge, the Portus Cale army had rigged the bridge to blow just as the Warriors and Eldian forces were crossing it. What only cost them a few pounds of explosives had in turn cost Marley thousands in manpower, equipment and the use of the Cart Titan.
Pieck was injured severely by the blast and then fell down the ravine. Zeke was lucky to have transformed beforehand and had his Titan absorb the brunt of the landing. Pieck, unfortunately, was outside of her Titan form when the bridge was engulfed in flames. She was too wounded to transform then. It was by some holy miracle that she survived the fall and held on long enough for Zeke to recover her from the wreckage. For the duration of the war, she was placed in intensive care. With only the Beast operational, Marley's warpath was ground to a halt. It took them several months to build tunnels and stairs for the army to cross that ravine. It was all for nothing as the enemy had scuddled the base and left nothing but burnt buildings and a lone ass in the command hall.
Their victories thereafter were just as hollow. Base after base, city after city was taken for a price far too high to justify their attainment. By a year's time, the capital was taken over, but corpses of Eldians and Marleyans alike lined their path. A path that led to a ruined capital, with their treasury missing, their resources naught but ash, their lands decimated and their people were forever scornful to the Motherland. Once more, Marley had blamed the Warrior's lack of foresight and effort in ending the Portus Cale conflict sooner.
While Zeke couldn't care less about how Marley viewed their performance, as he had more victories under his belt than defeats, it mattered more to a man like Magath. Mazoon and Portus Cale were permanent stains on his career. Magath wasn't looking forward to adding more to his portfolio. As in the briefing with Calvi before, Magath was on thin ice and would very much like to keep his position. Zeke had to agree with Magath on that one. He was best suited to helm the Eldian forces. He had the tac and respect previous commanders wished they had. Zeke would've gladly helped the man achieve more if he wasn't so sceptical of Zeke's every action.
Ever since that mess with his parents years ago, Magath had looked down on Zeke. It was a surprise to see a Marleyan disappointed with an Eldian for upholding their stringent dogma. Zeke guessed Magath drew the line at betraying your own blood. No, that wasn't it. It was part of it, but not the full reason. Zeke knew that Magath thought he had taken a shortcut to gain Warrior status. Magath was there during every drill and every brutal lesson. He knew of Zeke's floundering aptitudes and even graded most of them. He knew that Zeke wasn't cut out for the Beast. He had several candidates who were better suited. Magath's choice was swindled by Zeke's own choices. Zeke only gained the Beast because of his betrayal to his parents and the relationship he had with Xavier. All of them culminate with him inheriting the Beast from Xavier. For all intents and purposes, Zeke swindled an important decision from Magath. A slight Magath still held over Zeke's head.
"I don't need to tell you how important taking over this country is, do I?" Magath asked.
"No, sir. I understand, sir."
Magath fell silent, his stare held strong yet his chewing jaw betrayed his state of deep thought. What was he mulling over? What was he willing to share with him? "It's been five years since the Paradis Operation began, hasn't it?"
Magath's sudden question had Zeke befuddled for a moment. He quickly recovered with a crisp nod. "I believe so, sir."
"Then you know that's a long time for the Motherland to be patient. There's echoes coming from the top brass. Whispers in parliament about a long overdue report…" Magath gave him a sterner look. "I'm sharing this with you in confidence Zeke. I know you weren't particularly close with Hoover and Braun, but you'll be delighted to know that we'll soon know the status of Leonhart and Galliard. As soon as this war is over, we're scheduling an expedition onto the Island."
Zeke's eyes widen at the news. "That's… that's great, sir. B-but I do have some concerns-"
"So long as Chatigaon stands, you needn't concerned about Paradis. Unlike our esteemed admiral, I've been reading the reports on the coastline. Multiple villages and minor ports are in ruins. Unknown attackers. We don't know why, but I'm suspect, and afraid, that we have another Portus Cale on our hands."
"Another nation looking to slash and burn their resources? Sir, Saradia can't afford that. Portus Cale's noble families and higher-ups had friends in the Mid-East alliance to run to. Saladia has no one- no one official or isn't willing to breach the Tybor Accord."
"You'll be surprised how many nations are willing to void the accord and hide the Motherland's enemies" Magath said bitterly. "Regardless, I don't want all our focus on Chatigaon. You and I might've learned our past mistakes, but Marley is slow to learn theirs. I won't let us win a useless bile of dirt and rock again. As soon as the capital is taken, I want our forces to squash any guerilla forces. Whoever is destroying our gains, they will be dealt with swiftly."
"I understand, Commander" Zeke said with a nod.
"Good. Remember, the sooner we leave this place, the sooner we can end the Eldian empire once and for all. Dismissed!"
Zeke gave him a bow as Magath walked away. It wasn't lost on Zeke that Magath didn't cry out the usual Marley salute. Zeke was beginning to suspect that his commander was beginning to see the bigger picture behind Marley. Five years experiencing of the bloodiest conflicts in one military career will do that to a person. Zeke decided to ignore Magath's emerging disillusionment with the Marley system and focus on his own worries.
Zeke's detour from Pieck was a quick one. Onyankopon was easy to spot amount the throng of aerial staff, being the only one not to piss around with captured booze or deal with cards. A swift hand gesture and a stray question were all that was needed to give Onyankopon his orders.
Next was following Magath's orders. Zeke found Peick surrounded by her Panzer unit. Most sitting on her Titan's back, talking about something Zeke had no interest in while they shared a meal. Zeke had to pleasure of seeing Peick's dower, gaunt face after months in her Titan. It was quite unfortunate to then see that dower face go sorrow at her orders. Zeke did not bother to say goodbye, leaving it to her Panzer unit as she merged with her Titan and prepared to scout for the upcoming battle.
Zeke then found himself shirtless in a medical tent, biting down on a gag as the medics performed a spinal tap on him. Without any anaesthetic, of course. It wasn't protocol to give Warriors any sort of local or pain medication. Marley believed they shouldn't waste resources like that on creatures who can heal from all physical injuries- even though a holder of one of the Nine Titans can still feel pain.
It was after filling countless vials did Zeke found the excuse to light a cigarette and drink a bottle of Marsala he nicked from General Calvi's supply tent. All in the comfort of some dingy tool shed behind a blasted-out house. Zeke took a deep swig of the bottle, grunting as the tangy fruit and dry spices went to town on his senses, and handed it over to his companion. "You want a sip- and I only mean a sip. This stuff can mess you up. Even a Titan will struggle with this!"
She grabs the bottle, scanning over the label with a keen eye. "No thanks, sir," Yelena said as she handed it back.
"Might as well. I can sober up in an instant. You? They'll find you head down in a ditch somewhere, speaking incoherently" Zeke joked.
"That's why I declined, sir" Yelena spoke stiffly.
Zeke hummed and downed another mouthful. Grunting again, Zeke went on to gesture his face. "What's with…" Zeke stroked his own bearded jawline and chin. "That? We talked about you pretending to be a guy, but come on! You know that most dignified men wouldn't want to be seen with a ratty thing like that?"
Yelena touched her fake goatee. "Then I guess I fit in well with Marley's command."
Zeke barked out a laugh. "Good one! I guess it did work if you have something for me."
Yelena nods enthusiastically. "I do, sir. Magath is right. The brass and parliament are looking to forward a proposal for an expedition to Paradis as soon as the Saradia conflict has been dealt with. They're proposing a three-fold objective; obtain the status of Gillard's team, test Eldia's defences and Titan response, and obtain the Coordinate."
Zeke let out a grunt of recognition. "The first one will be a given, the second might need some swaying, but the third is definitely a bust" Zeke explained.
Yelena nodded, though her expression soured. "My contacts did warn me of the unlikelihood of the third option. Many of Marley's supporters and governors had cold feet before the operation started. Now? Nearly all are worried about pushing things too far on Paradis."
Zeke scoffed. "We invaded the Island and directly opposed Karl Frantz Vow! That's pretty high up on pushing things too far! We're lucky the Founding hasn't decided to call on the Rumbling."
Silence came over them soon after with Yelena gathering her bravery to interrupt it. "So, what is the plan?"
Zeke took a drag of his cigarette and knocked a few ashes off of it. "Now? We handle Chatigaon and mop up whatever is destroying the coastline villages and harbours. Magath is right. Paradis doesn't concern us until this conflict is dealt with."
Yelena nods silently, though Zeke can tell something is amiss. Zeke stopped smoking and set his bottle down on the ground. He leaned forward, staring Yelena down. "You don't approve?"
Yelena's eyes widen. "No sir! I have no complaints at all! You know that will follow you till the end of days and then some. It's just… No. It's stupid" Yelena said with a shake of her head.
Zeke clicked his tongue and scratched the back of his ear. "You do know, that if you're hiding something from me, I'll be very displeased. I thought I could trust you-"
"You can! S-sir! I'm sorry for my outburst."
"I'll forgive you if you tell me what you know."
"It's rumours, sir. Here-say at best. Word of mouth type situation. Nothing you shouldn't concern yourself with."
Zeke didn't budge on his stern demeanour or the topic. "What did they say?"
Yelena swallowed hard and shook her head. "Stupid stuff. They say that it wasn't a military force that took out villages and harbours. No Saradian military, guerilla force or anything human. They say it was a monster."
Zeke raised a brow at that. "You're right. That is stupid. The question is, how did they come to that conclusion?"
"I asked around. Nearly all of the people who say it was a monster are survivors of the assaults. Maybe there's confusing it for a new ship or a military vessel?"
"Maybe… Yaric mentioned a ship missing back at the briefing. Does this happen to be linked?" Zeke asked.
Yelena gave him a heavy nod. "Could be, sir… now that you mention it, the first reports came in at around the same time the ship went missing. Not only that, I've heard a rumour going around through the navy that Yaric put a gag order on one vessel. Not the fleet or a number of ships. Only one. I don't know the name, but I did have its travel manifest memorised. It travelled the same waters as the missing ship. Went over the same path. Even stopped at the nearby beach."
Zeke nodded his head slowly. His mind churned the new information back and forth in his memory. "They must've come across something interesting. Yaric had to have written the gag order down on his report to General Calvi. Seeing as rumours of this 'monster' or weapon hasn't spread like wildfire among the navy, it's safe to say that Calvi is willing to uphold that gag order" Zeke concluded.
"To keep morale up and to stop fear-mongering?" Yelena suggested.
Zeke shook his head. "Partly that. Maybe the missing ship went AWOL and went on a killing spree? No, they wouldn't sink their own ship for doing that. Maybe there is a secret weapon… but how could Saradia afford it? All of it went to their navy. They couldn't have something up their sleeves either. They would've deployed it on us long ago…" Zeke's words soon turned to mumbling as he listed off all the variables he could think of.
Yelena waited patiently, allowing Zeke to finish before speaking to him. "There's more. There's a pattern. All of the attacks are leading towards Chatigaon."
Zeke's brows creased in thought. "They're coming here? Where was the last attack?"
"At least 500 kilometres or more north of here. The attacks are spaced out and sporadic, but they all draw a line towards Chatigaon."
Zeke leaned back and rubbed his chin. "So, tomorrow's victory is more imperative. If we can't take the city tomorrow, then we're at risk of an attack from the back. If we take the city, we can fortify ourselves and screen the ocean for signs of this secret weapon," he concluded.
It was Yelena's turn to look at Zeke with a questioning look. "How sure are you that it's a secret weapon and not a monster?" she asked.
Zeke hummed with a smile. "Yelena, there are only two monsters in this world that are capable of such violence and destruction; Titans and Humans. I have yet to see anything else in this world top them, and when I do…" Zeke grabbed the bottle by his feet and held it up high, "I'll drink to our usurpation."
Current Publicly Available Information #2: The Tybor Accord
Introduced in 752, the Tybor Accord was written by the Warhammer holder at the time, Wilbor Tybor, alongside Helios, the Marley government and the international community. The accord dictates that all allied nations are not to offer refuge for people or persons that are deemed enemies to Marley's government or interests.
Other nations outside of Marley's League of Allies, the coalition of Marley's national allies, are also part of this accord. Suppose a non-allied nation is to house enemies of the Motherland. In that case, they are subject to economic sanctions, trade tariffs, government regulations, military takeover, or all of the above.
Nations found to be housing Marley's enemies can seek forgiveness by either allowing Marley to arrest their enemies in their terrorises, establish an embassy and a place for Marley officials in their government, join the League of Allies or become a protectorate of Marley.
No Godzilla in this chapter, unfortunately. This chapter is dedicated to focusing on the upcoming battle and showcasing Marley's bureaucracy and attitude towards not only their enemy but their allies as well. I also added a few non-canon battles to flesh out the chaotic situation Marley was dealing with during Operation Paradis' five-year span and how the AOT world reacted with Marley's main force being at half-strength.